The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-03-17
HE KNEW IT WAS COMING

HE KNEW 1T WAS COMING
A. Vienna Scientist Who Has Foretold
Four Earthquakes In Succession.
LONDON, February 26.-As usual,
many theories are put forward concern
ing the recent earthquake, some of them
by scientists of repute, others by charla-
tans and mere notoriety seekers. 1t is
said that Prof. Rudolph Falb of Vienna
predicted the exact time of Wednesdays
shock. He had already gained some
repute previously as a foreteller of seis-
mic disturbances. He wrote card to
some of the Austrian newspapers several
days ago, calling attention to the fact
that the annular eclipse of the sun,
which commenced on Tuesday evening at
GAL, Greenwich time, being central at
9.1S p. M, and ending on earth generally
at 25 minutes past midnight, that is, on
Wednesday morning, was likely to be
accompanied with strong atmospheric
and seismic disturbances. Prof. Falb is
really learned physicist and mathema.
tician, and has standing which entities
him to respect. It is related that his
first and great success was the foretelling
of the destructive shock at Beiluno on
June 20, 1873. Nearly the whole of
Northern Italy was affected, and upward
of fifty lives were lost. This event won
for the Professor a highly eulogistic
poem, which he has reprinted in his
"Gedan ken und Studren uber Vulcanis-
mus" (studies Of Volcanic Agency.
Very shortly afterwards he gave warning
of the probabilities of an eruption of the
Etns, which followed at the time antici.
pated in 1874. Applying the same
theory to tidal waves, Falb has calcula.
ted that 1000 years before Christ there
must haYe been a great flood, supposed
by some to- coincide with the Biblical
deluge, and he predicts the repetition of
a like phenomenon in the year A. d.
640O.
A writer in the London Telegraph,
evidently of scientific attainments, says
there is no difficulty in understanding
the principles upon which Falb's fore
casts are made. There is no mystic con.
nections between an eclipse and an earth.
quake, but all depends upon the simple
law of gravity. The moon every day
attracts huge tidal wave to one side of
the earth. Why should not power
much greater exert mighty influence
on the crust of the earth? This crust is
at the most few hundred miles in
thickness, resting on fluid, semi-auid,
or molten interior. What, then, must be
the strength, the rigidity Of this solid
arch to resist the strain, which the sun
and moon bring to bear upon it? Math.
ematiciaus have shown that it must be
far more unyieldipg than the hardest
steel. Hence the theory which was first
put forward by Prof. Percy, of Dion,
that when this pull of the heavenly
bodies reaches or approaches its maxi
mum at certain times, the earth's solid
crust doest not yield and falter under
the overpowering strain. Herr Falb
has amplifed this theory, and. by
taking account of the exact moment
when the attractions were the greatest,
he has been able to indicate when and
where earthquakes were probable. just
such a moment was that during the
annular eclipse on Tuesday and Wed
nesdsy. While the interesting. phenom-
enon lasted, the sun was for the most
part obscured by the moon coming
between it and the earth, leaving only a
ring of light (hence the name "Annu-
larry. Therefore, from those places
where the eclipse was seen q line might
have been drawn through the moons
centre straight to the sun; or, in other
words, their pull or attraction on the
earth was exerted nearly at its maxi.
mum; not quite, however, for it 80 hap
pened that the moon was little further
from the earth than is sometimes the
case. If, instead of being in apogee, she
bad been in perigee; and assuming that
Prof. Falb's theory points to the true
cause, the disasters on the Riviera might
have been still more terrible. The writer
in the Telegraph points out that when
the Charleston earthquake took place
the moon was in the position to produce
the greatest strain.
M. Camille Flammarion, popular
French scientific writer, has also
advanced a theory, which, however, is
not altogether original. He places the
focus of the disturbance between Nice
and Genoa, and asserts that steam was
generated by the water getting in among
the heated internal rocks. He refers
also to the annular eclipse spoken of by
Prof. Falb, the earth, moon and sun hav.
ing been in the same straight line. He
ventures on the opinion that unusual
pressure might have been brought to
bear on the steam in the hot rocks of the
earth's interior.
Still another opinion advanced is that
this last disturbance was caused by the
fact that Vesuvius has been choked up
since 1876, and that what has long served
as sort of stop-cock for the internal
overflow was thus made useless. The